Not Quite So Careless Anymore
by petalis
Summary: Gatsby falls in love with someone that can handle it. Gatsby x Jordan
1. Chapter 1

"No, this afternoon. I happened to find out that you're taking Miss Baker to tea."  
"Do you mean you're in love with Miss Baker?"  
"No, old sport, I'm not. But Miss Baker has kindly consented to speak to you about this matter."

Nick turned toward Gatsby and saw that he once again had the quality of choking his words. He wondered exactly what Gatsby felt toward Jordan but did not feel he would get an answer and so turned away from him and toward the glittering lights of the city in silence.

* * *

"And so that's how it is." Jordan took a sip of coffee from her cup before turning back toward Nick with a sour face. It was cold out, and so was her drink.  
"You seem a bit curt tonight. Are you alright?"  
She looked at him with an unconcerned face. "Honest as always I see."  
"What is it? Honesty has a way of seeing things and Jordan- you're pretty easy to read."  
"You'll think I'm terrible."  
"Already do." He said with a light, affectionate tone.  
She glared at him. "I'm being serious."  
"Okay. I'm sorry. Continue."  
"I don't want them to meet."

* * *

Gatsby looked at Daisy and felt his affections become stronger as he once again heard that lilting voice of hers and felt her silky golden hair brush against his neck. He walked his fingers along her arm lightly and she giggled softly at his touch and seemed to flourish. She hadn't felt this kind of love toward her in a long time and craved it, caving deeper toward Gatsby. Nick entered the room and Daisy pulled apart suddenly. The light jolt of her action reminded Gatsby briefly of Jordan and how she had walked so confidently toward him the last time they met at the party. He thought to himself how different the two women were and felt a tinge of guilt in the realization that he liked that. He reached toward Daisy's hand, desperate to absolve himself of the self labeled sin, though she pulled away.

"Jay. Jay, let's go to your house."  
"Hm? Oh, yes." He stood near the porch of Nick's cottage and gestured to his mansion.  
"Do you like it? The way the light shines down on it- I had bought it thinking that you'd like it. Do you like it, Daisy?"  
"It's wonderful, Jay. We must go. Ab-so-lutely."  
He turned from Daisy to his home and wondered if she would fit the home as well as Jordan had. He felt a little restless at the thought. All this time he'd been chasing that green light through the fog, Daisy- a past pushed into the future and suddenly he was wondering if time had changed. If perhaps he'd been chasing a dream. If perhaps his hands were too rough to hold flowers anymore.  
"Nick. Come with us, old sport."

Nick turned from Gatsby to Daisy and wondered if everything would be alright. He saw a nervous quality that contradicted the wispy smile that ghosted Gatsby's face when he looked at Daisy. Why was it such a fickle quality? He stood a minute thinking to himself whether or not it had anything to do with Jordan.

"Nick?"  
"Yes, yes I'll go. We'll all go. Now?"  
"No time like the present, old sport." And Gatsby smiled with a soft surprised look that said he had meant it but wanted to take it back. He turned away from the both of them and swiftly grabbing his coat, lead the way.


	2. Chapter 2

The shirts fell down from the stairs atop the bed like graceful angels ready to do what they must in a dirty world. Daisy held them close to her the way children clung to comforts they knew and laughed. She fell across the bed laughing to herself until suddenly every shirt was a memory of the past and then it was a thought of the present and then it was the whisper of the future and the weight of time pushed her down with a force she couldn't deny. She caved into herself and cried.

"Oh, Jay. These are such beautiful shirts."  
"D-daisy. What's wrong?"  
"What'll you do when they go out of fashion? What'll anyone do with these old beautiful shirts?"  
"Well, I'll keep them. I'll keep them, but wear new clothes."  
"I suppose that's what people do, isn't that right, Jay?"  
"I suppose we have to. People grow. People-"  
"Change."  
"Yes... that's right, Daisy."

He held her close to him knowing he would never do so again, at least not in the way he had or the way he had wanted to. Daisy was gone. He kissed her forehead just as Nick walked in.  
"Give us a bit, will you old sport?"  
Nick turned away, unaware of his misinterpretation. He thought of Jordan and shook his head with pity thinking to himself that he would have to tell her. He glanced outside to see more rain. He thought quietly to himself that all of New York could use a good rain. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

* * *

"They met."  
"I know."  
"It went well."  
"...I knew it would." She sighed deeply to herself like she was trying to exhale Gatsby himself. _Gatsby. That son of a bitch. What on earth is he doing to me?_  
"I'll be alright, Nick. Thank you for telling me."  
"He'll probably call you over to thank you, you know how he is."  
"I know. I know. Loves Daisy, obnoxiously polite, delusional romantic sentimentalist, dreamer, and "old sport." Did I miss anything?"  
"Daisy doesn't hold a candle to you."  
"You're right. She just holds every sun that's ever existed."  
"Gatsby has-"  
"I'm tired, Nick. Let's talk later, okay?"  
"Okay." He hung up the phone knowing that Jordan needed quiet time to settle her thoughts and wondered to himself is she'd still be alright after meeting Gatsby again in person.

* * *

"If you're calling me here to thank me about Daisy and gush about how wonderful she is, I'm not in the mood, alright?"  
"Miss Baker. I know you'll think I'm-"  
She cut him off quickly and thought to herself that if things we're going to be cut, she'd be the one holding the scissors.  
"Gatsby, I've got to jet. Whatever you have to say, say it fast will you?"  
"Yes, yes of course. I know you'll think I'm crazy but I absolutely must say this and I- well- I-"  
"Spit it out." She curled her fingers into her palm back and forth in frustration the way she did when readying herself for a match. Her teeth grinded against each other as her nerves began to take over. _Breathe, Jordan. It's just a game. It's just a play. Let it go through the acts_. She was not the type to hold on to things that didn't want to stay. She turned away from the slightly befuddled looking Gatsby. She knew what he wanted to say and knew the disgusting polite necessities at which he would say it. She glanced her eyes over to see him open his mouth to speak. She closed her eyes readying herself for the punch.

"I'm taken by you, Jordan. Miss Baker. Jordan."  
She snapped back toward him thinking she'd misheard him.  
"This isn't a meeting to say goodbye?"  
He laughed a little to himself as he thought about how everything that's ever left him and everything he's ever left never said goodbye.  
"No. Well, perhaps. I'm saying goodbye to other things," His voice trailed off as if he was physically walking down a trail that others simply couldn't see. His voice strengthened again. "But not you. No. I want you. I want you to stay. Will you?"  
"...I saw the way you looked at Daisy-before. I always wanted to be looked at like that, but I- I'm not a flower. I'm not the type of girl men look at like that, I-"  
"I don't want to look at flowers."

She looked at him closely, at those bright ambitious eyes, at the hands of God, at the body of a man with a heart of a boy- shoved to a place he wasn't ready to go. She looked at him and where they were and where they could go and at the twinkling man made star light around them and whispered in a way similar to a hymn or a prayer.  
"I'll stay. And..will you stay?"  
"I'll stay."  
She reached her hand across the table.  
"My hand. I want you to hold it."  
He reached to place his palm over hers as if they were building a bridge to something more than themselves.  
"My mouth. I want you do with it what our hands are doing."  
She smiled a bit shyly at the comment before quickly correcting her features into something cool. She leaned across slowly with a sly smirk and kissed him. Gatsby felt her strength, and knowing that she would not break, kissed her harder. They melted in to each other and they wondered to themselves if perhaps at least for the moment, it'd be okay to lose track of time.


	3. AUTHOR NOTES

AUTHOR NOTES:

This was my very first piece, but I'd be honored to have you rip it to shreds in a critique. If it wasn't on my computer, I'd probably have done the same. About the story, it's not that I particularly saw them as couple material while reading the book, but I do love Gatsby. He should be allowed to have a happy ending in at least one universe- so I wrote one for him. The Great Gatsby was a beautiful book and I understand that I changed Gatsby drastically, but I really don't think that there was any other way. A Gatsby that isn't desperately stuck in the past just isn't Gatsby, and that kind of characteristic is just hardwired for tragedy genetically to every word he's ever said. Daisy was only ever taking a trip back, but Gatsby? He was always just continuing what he considered a pause in his life. He could hardly be called alive while she was gone, but she was always growing without him. Jordan is careless, selfish, but at the very least, she's strong. If they had liked each other, maybe he could've moved on and Jordan could've been less selfish.

A little more context to the story that I didn't write about:  
In my imagination he meets her at one of his parties and forgets Daisy for a little bit but doesn't feel right pursuing her what with that married-in-his-mind kind of thing but she keeps showing up and they dance to jazz until one day he kisses her but immediately walks away muttering Daisy's name. Jordan overhears him or something and they talk about Daisy and she talks to Nick etc. etc. He feels guilty over liking her and wants to meet Daisy again to reassure himself over who he cares about.

Thank you for reading my long winded opinion and if you liked my story, thanks even more.


End file.
